JAN | Art Directions at IFFR

Art Directions, celebrating its 30th anniversary, will present installations, immersive media and the industry extension of the programme, Lightroom.

Dates

30.01.2026 – 08.02.2026

Location

Katoenhuis Rotterdam

For tickets check IFFR website.

Last year, we began a long-term collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), hosting the incredible Art Directions programme, a space where cinema and the moving image extend beyond the traditional screening room through installations, immersive media, performances and live audiovisual experiences.

This year, from January 30th to February 8th, 2026, Katoenhuis will once again be the main venue and strategic partner for Art Directions, presenting an even larger and more ambitious selection of works. In addition to installations and immersive media projects, we are proud to host, for the first time, the industry extension of the programme: Lightroom, an initiative that brings together projects in development and works-in-progress alongside a symposium focused on new forms of storytelling at the intersection of art, film and emerging technologies.

Katoenhuis will feature four major Art Directions installations, including world and Dutch premieres by international and local artists, alongside a curated selection of immersive media works.

Katoenhuis will host four Art Directions installations showcasing IFFR’s commitment to visual and sensory exploration. The works include:

3 Scenes from a Marriage by Leopold Emmen (Nanouk Leopold and Daan Emmen), 2026 (Netherlands) – World Premiere
Café Kuba: Who Dared to Awaken the Dead Memory by David Shongo, 2025 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Belgium) – Dutch Premiere
Krakatoa* by Carlos Casas, 2026 (Spain, United Kingdom, Poland, France) – World Premiere*This project will also be screened in film form in IFFR’s Harbour strand
Preludio by Silvia Gatti, 2025 (Netherlands) – World Premiere

Immersive works selected for the Art Directions programme, which will be presented in Katoenhuis, include:

After the Game by Jana Stallein, 2026 (Germany) – World Premiere
The World Came Flooding In* by Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine, 2025 (Australia) – International Premiere.*This was presented at CineMart 2024 and world premiered at Melbourne in 2025.
If You See a Cat by Atsushi Wada, 2025 (Japan) – Dutch Premiere
The Great Escape by Joren Vandenbroucke (Belgium, Luxembourg) – Dutch Premiere*This was presented at CineMart 2024 and world premiered in Venice Immersive 2025
The Great Orator* by Daniel Ernst, 2025 (Netherlands) – Dutch Premiere.*This was presented at Darkroom 2025 and world premiered in Venice Immersive 2025
Cycle by Matunda Groenendijk, Amit Palgi, 2026 (Netherlands) – Work in Progress